Necora puber

Researched By	Morvan Barnes	Data Supplied By	MarLIN
Refereed by	This information is not refereed
Taxonomy
Scientific name	Necora puber	Common name	Velvet swimming crab
MCS Code	S1589	Recent Synonyms	Liocarcinus puber
Phylum	Crustacea	Subphylum
Superclass		Class	Eumalacostraca
Subclass	Eucarida	Order	Decapoda
Suborder	Pleocyemata	Family	Portunidae
Genus	Necora	Species	puber
Subspecies
Additional Information
Taxonomy References	Hayward et al., 1996, Howson & Picton, 1997, Hayward & Ryland, 1995b
General Biology
Growth form	Articulate	Feeding method	Omnivore, Herbivore, Predator, Scavenger
Mobility/Movement	Swimmer, Crawler	Environmental position	Epifaunal, Epibenthic
Typical food types	Invertebrates such as crustaceans and molluscs and also carrion or even brown algae. More likely to be predatorial at greater depths.	Habit	Free living
Bioturbator	Not relevant	Flexibility	None (< 10 degrees)
Fragility	Fragile	Size	Small-medium(3-10cm)
Height	Not researched	Growth Rate	Not Researched
Adult dispersal potential	10-100m	Dependency	Independent
Sociability	Solitary
Toxic/Poisonous?	No
Additional Information
Biology References	Lee et al., 2004, Hayward & Ryland, 1995b, Ingle, 1980, Crothers & Crothers, 1988, Philippart, 1998, Norman & Jones, 1992, Moore & Howarth, 1996, Kinnear & Mason, 1987
Distribution and Habitat
Distribution in Britain & Ireland	Found on all British and Irish coasts.
Global distribution	Found in north-west Europe from Norway to the Shetlands and south to Spain and the Canary Isles and in the Meditteranean off the coasts of Malta.
Biogeographic range	Temperate to warm temperate.	Depth range	Found down to 70 m depth.
Migratory	Non-migratory / Resident
Distribution Additional Information
Substratum preferences	Bedrock, Large to very large boulders, Pebbles, Gravel / shingle, Rockpools, Under boulders	Physiographic preferences	Open coast, Offshore seabed, Strait / sound, Sealoch, Ria / Voe, Estuary, Enclosed coast / Embayment
Biological zone	Upper Eulittoral, Mid Eulittoral, Lower Eulittoral, Sublittoral Fringe, Upper Infralittoral, Lower Infralittoral, Upper Circalittoral, Lower Circalittoral	Wave exposure	Very Exposed, Exposed, Moderately Exposed, Sheltered, Very Sheltered, Extremely Sheltered
Tidal stream strength/Water flow	Field unresearched	Salinity	Full (30-40 psu), Variable (18-40 psu)
Habitat Additional Information
AMBI Group (Borja et al., 2000)	I
Distribution References	Hayward et al., 1996, Lee et al., 2004, Hayward & Ryland, 1995b, Ingle, 1980
Reproduction/Life History
Reproductive type	Gonochoristic	Developmental mechanism	Planktotrophic
Reproductive Season	May	Reproductive Location	As adult
Reproductive frequency	Annual episodic	Regeneration potential	Yes
Life span	6-10 years	Age at reproductive maturity	1 year
Generation time	1 year	Fecundity	300,000-450,000
Egg/propagule size	490-500 µm	Fertilization type	Internal
Larvae/Juveniles Larval/Juvenile dispersal potential Not researched Larval settlement period 16-20 weeks after hatching Duration of larval stage 1-2 months
Additional Information	Necora puber actively select substrata of higher structural complexity, particularly during the nocturnal period. This initial pattern of distribution is soon changed by post-settlement movement of early juvenile instars, which have different habitat requirements and are generally less selective. Despite decapod postlarvae generally being strong swimmers, tidal stream velocities commonly exceed their swimming capabilities and during the postlarval stage, flow plays a major role in dispersal.
Reproduction References	Hearn, 2004, Mene et al., 1991, Lee et al., 2006, Lee et al., 2004, Hayward & Ryland, 1995b, Ingle, 1980, Crothers & Crothers, 1988, Choy, 1988, Choy, 1991, Norman & Jones, 1993